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Does size matter?

I'm sure there are other forums that discuss this issue but I'm just starting out with a bow after several years as a rifle hunter and I'm already a member here so I have to ask. What is it with the different vane lengths. Are the short vanes better / worse, why? It seems that they may have less wind drift from a cross wind but that's just my initial uneducated guess.

The argument about vane size and shape has been raging for years all over. In my opinion it all comes down to three things: cross section, balance/spin, and clearance.
Cross Section: The surface area of the vanes on which wind can contact to push an arrow off target. This one boils down to the amount of material that is stuck to your arrow. A 4 inch low profile vane and a 2 inch tall vane have almost the same cross section size. So they both have about the same amount surface area that wind can act on.
Balance/Spin: Longer or shorter vanes can effect the front of center (FOC) balance of your arrow by changing where the weight of the vanes falls. Shorter vanes tent to move FOC back more than longer vanes. The amount of spin the vanes can put on the arrow is directly related to the size of the vane, the longer air is in contact with the vane the more it will spin the arrow. This is a lot like cross section. Long, low vanes and short tall vanes do about the same job because there is about the same total interaction on them.
Clearance: This is becoming more of an issue with full capture rest. Super short, super tall vanes don't fit through a lot of the full capture rests. This can bite you in the butt after you build your $200 new dozen arrows and then they don't go through your rest.

To sum up. With todays new bows, arrows, and other technology, vanes become a matter of personal choice and what works for you the best. I run 5'' vanes on some arrows, 1.75'' on others.

People in SUV's and suburbs will kill more game animals than a man with a bow, ever could.

Whatever vanes spin your arrow the fastest are generally the best. I've been using 4" Quikspin vanes for a long time and have been very happy. Yes, they are heavier, but I have found them to be quieter than 2" Blazer vanes. Whatever you do, my advice would be to not get caught up in the speed freak mentality. Accuracy, not speed, puts trophies on the wall and meat in the freezer.

I think it may depend on what kind of a rest you are using to. When I was shooting a Whisker Biscuit rest, the best vanes I found that would not wrinkle or deform was the 2 inch Blazer Vane. Crimson hit it on the head the more spin you can get the better stabilization you will get out of your arrow. And for you speed freaks, just for the record when I chronograph my arrows I get about 5 feet per second more on the blazer vanes than I get with a 4 inch fletch. I now shoot the blazer vanes and fletch them with Bohnings Helix jig made for blazers, puts a nice helical spin on the blazers and they fly great!

Blazer veins are just a great all around choice. They work well in just about any application. I am a sold for life full capture rest shooter. I have never had an arrow off the mark due to the veins contacting the rest. I use the wisker biscuit. These veins do great at short shots (10yrds or less), and really show their stuff when taking the cross country shots. (50yrds or longer). They put a very gentle stable spin on the arrow, and hold them very steady through the air.